Keepers, animals keep each other company at Cairo's shuttered zoo
Giza Zoo keeper, Mohamed Rizq feeds a bear called 'Hany' after the zoo was closed to visitors to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
The chimpanzees, lions and hippos of Cairo's zoo are getting a rare spell of peace and quiet alone with their keepers as a closure caused by the coronavirus outbreak keeps the public away.
The zoo in Giza, across the Nile from central Cairo, is one of the few green spaces in the usually bustling city of 23 million and is often crammed with families seeking diversion from the grind of daily life.
Now keepers do their rounds at the zoo along deserted pathways, feeding animals apples and bananas through the railings of their cages and bringing fresh hay to their enclosures.
A capuchin monkey looks out from its cage in Giza Zoo after it was closed to visitors to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Veteran keeper Mohamed Aly holds hands with 12-year-old chimpanzee Jolia in a gesture of friendship, while noting that keepers are careful about cleaning hands between rounds.
"I've been here about 25 years," he said. "(I've spent) my whole life with them, they may not speak but they feel everything, and of course all of them are looking for people to play with."
Egypt, like other countries, is trying to curb the spread of coronavirus cases by restricting people's movements. It has imposed a night curfew and shut schools, mosques and tourist sites including the pyramids. It has so far confirmed more than 850 cases of the virus, including more than 50 deaths.
A chimpanzee called 'Dodo' is seen in his cage after Giza Zoo was closed to visitors to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
The zoo, which has been closed along with others in Egypt since March 18, is sprayed with disinfectant twice a week.
(Reporting by Amr Abdallah Dalsh; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Gareth Jones)
A lion looks out from its cage after Giza Zoo was closed to visitors to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah DalshA bear shakes off water as Giza Zoo keeper, Mohamed Rizq feeds it after the zoo was closed to visitors to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah DalshA hippopotamus is seen in its pen after Giza Zoo was closed to visitors to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah DalshA lion is seen in its cage in Giza Zoo after it was closed to visitors to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah DalshZoo keeper, Abdel Rahaman feeds a hippopotamus after Giza Zoo was closed to the public to help stop the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah DalshA Giza Zoo keeper stops to look in the lions cage as he walks through the zoo that is devoid of visitors after it was closed to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah DalshGiza Zoo keeper, Mohamed Rizq feeds a bear called 'Hany' after the zoo was closed to visitors to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah DalshA zoo keeper walks away after feeding animals at the closed Giza Zoo, during the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah DalshGiza Zoo keeper, Mohamed Aly touches the hand of a chimpanzee called 'Dodo' as he reaches from his cage after the zoo was closed to visitors to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah DalshGiza Zoo keeper, Mohamed Aly feeds a chimpanzee called 'Koko' after the zoo was closed to visitors to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah DalshGiza Zoo keeper, Mohamed Aly touches the hand of a chimpanzee called 'Jolia' as she reaches through the cage bars after the zoo was closed to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. A tiger is seen in its cage after Giza Zoo was closed to visitors to help prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
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